PHILIPSBURG--Attorney Cor Merx was surprised at the reaction from Public Health Minister Cornelius de Weever, who was critical of Merx's questioning of the sex workers' policy, called it suspicious and suggested that it might have been political.

 

Merx denied that there had been anything suspicious or political about his questioning and told The Daily Herald he kept politics at arm's length. He said in a press statement that he had cancelled a press conference on the new policy after speaking to the Minister, who had agreed to meet with him on the subject. Merx is still waiting on this meeting.

 

"The media is my witness: I invited them for a press conference (last Monday) but I sent a mail to the Minister to inform him about it (again, as a courtesy and not to surprise him). ... After I spoke with the Minister (on Friday) and I agreed to meet and to discuss this issue with him – nothing suspicious.

 

"I cancelled the meeting with the press telling them I would have a meeting with the Minister first. They understood. Now I am in the papers instead of sitting with the Minister. I got double punished," Merx said in his statement. "There is much to do in the Labour Department. The question, however, is what is done so far? I could go in details, but I [won't – Ed.] do it."

 

Merx, who is representing six clients in the industry whom he declined to identify by name, said he never had been invited to a meeting with the Minister and adult entertainment centres at University of St. Martin (USM.)

De Weever told reporters on Wednesday that numerous meetings had been held at USM with the owners of adult entertainment centres regarding the changes and "never once was Cor Merx present." De Weever said too that questions raised with the adult entertainment centre operators during the meeting had been addressed.

 

Merx: "It is true. I never was at that meeting because I did not get an invitation. If my client gets an invitation to go to court and the Prosecutor does not invite me I don't go. I do not want to be one of those not-invited guests as mentioned in the Bible. I decide on my own where to go and where not to go. These meetings were just one-way meetings. As my clients told me, it was a 'take it or leave it.'"

 

De Weever had told reporters that even before he had taken office he had been confronted with the age limit of sex industry workers and noted that he did not look at things one-dimensionally as just the age, but looked at them holistically and set priorities, and he said this had not been his priority.

In his statement on Thursday Merx said that, had this issue not been a priority, "the Minister could have answered that question four years ago. We have several witnesses that confirm he never did.

 

"How to look at things is quite different [depending on – Ed.] who you are and what your perception is – look at the guidelines for the campaign. Who is right and who is wrong (one-dimensionally or holistically). Nice words for nothing."

 

Merx also took issue with the Minister's reference to human trafficking in his press briefing statement. "Yes, and of course all of my clients (and everyone in the community) are aware of 'vrouwenhandel' – that is something different as the Minister is all the time talking about human trafficking – and we all want to fight this for once and forever, but not with a labour agreement with a minimum age in it. Our respect for the girls goes over that amount – it would be a shame."

 

He said the labour contract proposed for commercial sex workers should refer to "vrouwenhandel" not "mensensmokkel" (human trafficking) as these are quite different articles in the law. "But for that reason we have to sit and to listen to each other. I am still waiting for my invitation done by the Minister, but not for a discussion in the media. Again, I [will not – Ed.] go in the details about legality or sense or nonsense of the policy. I will keep it straightforward ... but if Cornelius has an argument with Cornelius, Cornelius always will win," Merx said.

 

(The Daily Herald)